Manually adjustable dial index member



1967 H. R. FOSTER ETAL 3,301,212

MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE DIAL INDEX MEMBER Filed Oct. 2, 1964 FIG. 1

INVENTOR,

Harry /Q. Foster g EZmo E. Cfium a Arfhur ,4. Marc/7 ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent f 3,301,212 MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE DIAL INDEX MEMBER Harry R.Foster, Montville, and Elmo E. Crump, West Caldwell, N.J., assignors toOhmega Laboratories, Montville, NJ a partnership Filed Oct. 2, 1964,Ser. No. 401,154 3 Claims. (Cl. 116124) This invention relates to adevice for retaining a visible indication of the particular setting of acontrol knob with respect to a dial. In particular, the inventionrelates to a device for indicating a previous setting of an electricalcomponent operated by way of a control knob mounted coaxially with thedevice.

In operating electrical apparatus, it is frequently desirable to havesome means for indicating the orient-ation to which a particular controlknob has been set so that the knob can be rotated to a differentposition and brought back to the original orientation quite readily. Inaccordance with this invention, an annular ring is provided as part ofsuch a device and is journaled upon the round shank of a nut that mayalso serve to hold the electrical component on a panel, the nut beingthreaded upon a journal that extends through an opening in the panel andthrough which, in turn, an adjusting shaft extends. The electricalcomponent to which the adjusting shaft is attached may be any one ormore of the tunable electrical components, such as capacitors,inductors, potentiometers, switches, and the like. A dial is provided onor in conjunction with the panel and the ring or knob has an indicatorthat may be set at any point on the dial. Friction means are provided torestrict the rotation of the ring so that it will not easily be movedout of place, although it can be rotated deliberately. A tuning knob,which may be of any type, is attached to the shaft and has a pointerthat may be set with respect to the dial, but may also be set withrespect to the indicator on the ring.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide adevice that will retain an indication of the setting of an adjustingknob of an adjustable electrical component. Further objects will beapparent from the following specification, together with the drawing inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a view partly in cross-section of a dial setting deviceaccording to the invention; and

FIG. 2 shOWS a front view of the dial setting device of FIG. 1.

The dial setting device in FIG. 1 is to be used in conjunction with avariable electrical component 11 which may be a volume control, a tuningcapacitor, a variable inductance, a switch, or any combination thereoffitted with a tuning or adjusting shaft 12 rotatable, eithercontinuously or in steps, through some angle. Some of these componentshave typical maximum angles, such as 180 degrees for a tuning capacitoror 270 degrees for certain otentiometers or even more than 360 degreesfor other potentiometers, and this invention may be used with any ofthem. The shaft 12 extends through an externally threaded journal 13which is held within an aperture 14 in a panel 16 by the pressurebetween a regular hex-nut 17 and a special nut 18. The nut 17 is merelya spacer to determine the distance that the outer end of the journal 13will extend beyond the panel 16, and it need not be used in everyinstance.

The nut 18 has a round shank 19 threaded on the journal 13 and tightenedagainst the panel 16 so that pressure between the end of the shank 19and one surface of the nut 17 holds the component 11 firmly in place. Alock washer may be used in the customary manner. In addition to theround shank portion 19, the nut 18 has a radially extending shoulder 21at the other end. Preferably the entire axial length of the nut 18,including both 3,361,212 Patented Jan. 31, 1957 the shank portion 19 andthe shoulder 21 be substantially equal to the face of the panel 17. Thisdistance may be referred to at the effective length of the journal. Theshoulder 21 is normally hexagonal.

Journaled on the round shank 19 is an annular ring 22 having a section23 of reduced thickness immediately adjacent to the shank and with acentral bore 20 large enough for unhindered rotation on the shank. Thetotal axial length of the annular ring 22 at the periphery thereof issubstantially equal to the axial length of the nut 18, but the section23 :must have a shorter axial dimension than the distance between theface of the panel 16 and the shoulder 21. Between the outer end of 23and the near surface of the shoulder 21 is a frictional device, such asa compression spring washer 24, that bears against both the end of thesection 23 and the shoulder 21 to restrict the freedom of rotation ofthe ring 22. The friction provided by the spring 24 must be sufiicientto hold the ring 22 in Whatever position it may be set, and yet thefrictional force must not be sufficient to make it unduly diflicult toturn the ring to a new setting whenever it may be desired to do so.

Attached to the shaft 12, by a set screw 25, is an adjusting knob 26which is shown as having a pointer 27, although this pointer mayactually be in the form of a colored dot or any other means forindicating the setting position of the knob and hence of the shaft 12.

In FIG. 2 there is a dial 28 on or attached to the surface of the panel16 in the area around the ring 22. The ring, itself, is provided with atleast one indicator or marker 29 that can be set in conjunction with thedial 28. The knob 26 and its pointer 27 are also shown in FIG. 2.

In operation, the knob 26 may be set so that the pointer 27 is oppositeany mark on the dial 28. If it is desired to move the knob to adifferent location and then to return it to the original location, thering 22 may be rotated so that the indicator 29 is located in the samespot as the pointer 27. Thereafter, the knob 26 may be moved to adifferent position and then brought back to the original position byrealigning the pointer 27 with the indicator 29. Because of the factthat the knob 26 is spaced from the ring 22 and therefore exerts no dragthereon, and further because of the fact that no other moving part ofthe entire apparatus is in contact with the ring 22, the setting of theindicator 29 can be expected to be relatively permanent until it isdeliberately moved to a different position.

While this invention has been described in terms of the specificembodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications may be made therein without departing from thetrue scope of the invention as determined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dial setting device for an adjustable electrical componentcomprising an adjusting shaft attached to said component, an externallythreaded journal through which said shaft extends, and a panel having anaperture through which said journal extends, said device comprising: aninternally threaded nut fitting on said externally threaded journal tohold said electrical component in place on said panel, said nut having around shank,'one end of which bears against said panel, and a shoulderextending substantially radially from the other end of said shank, thesurface of said shoulder facing said one end of shank being distant fromsaid one end by a predetermined length; an annular ring surrounding saidshank to be freely rotatably journalled thereon, the thickness of theportion of said ring in contact with said shank being less than thelength of said shank; a compression device between said ring and saidnut to apply pressure and rotational friction therebetween; a dial -onsaid panel; an indicator on said annular ring setta-ble with respect tosaid dial; and a knob on said shaft spaced from said ring and hav ingmeans for indicating the setting of said knob with respect to saidindicator.

2. A dial setting device for an adjustable electrical componentcomprising an adjusting shaft attached to said component, an externallythreaded journal through which said journal extends, said devicecomprising: an internally threaded nut fitting on said externallythreaded journal to hold said electrical component in place on saidpanel, said nut having a round shank, one end of which bears againstsaid panel, and a shoulder extending substantially radially from theother end of said shank, the surface of said shoulder facing said oneend of shank being distant from said one end by a predetermined length;an annular ring surrounding said shank to be freely rotatably journalledthereon, the thickness of the portion of said ring in contact with saidshank being less than the length of said shank; a compression device onsaid shank in the region thereof between the face of said ring distalfrom said panel and the surface of said shoulder facing said panel toapply axial pressure and rotational friction therebetween; a dial onsaid panel; an indicator on said annular ring settable in conjunctionwith said dial; and a knob on said shaft spaced from said ring andhaving a pointer settable with respect to said indicator.

3. A dial setting device for an adjustable electrical component whichcomprises an adjusting shaft attached to said component, an externallythreaded journal through which said shaft extends, and a panel having anaperture through which said journal extends, said device comprising aninternally threaded nut fitting on said externally threaded journal tohold said component on said panel, said nut having a round shank ofpredetermined length and a hexagonal shoulder extending substantiallyradially therefrom at one end; an annular ring surrounding said shank tobe freely r-otatably journalled thereon, the periphery of said ringhaving an axial length substantially equal to the axial length of saidshank plus the axial length of said shoulder, and the portion of saidring radially closest to said shank having an axial length less than theaxial length of said shank; a compression spring between said ring andsaid shoulder to exert frictional drag on said ring to restrict thefreedom of rotation thereof, whereby said ring will remain in any setposition; a dial on said panel; and indicator on said annular ringsetable in conjunction with said dial to serve as a pre determinedsetting; and a knob on said shaft spaced from said ring and having apointer indicating the setting of said knob with respect to saidindicator.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,005,792 6/1935Leins 73431 2,479,658 8/ 1949 Wilks 116-124.1 2,890,299 6/1959 Adams etal 116133 2,995,105 8/1961 Maltby 116-133 3,013,339 12/1961 Brewer et al116-115 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,492 11/ 1935 Australia.

LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner.

1. A DIAL SETTING DEVICE FOR AN ADJUSTABLE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTCOMPRISING AN ADJUSTING SHAFT ATTACHED TO SAID COMPONENT, AN EXTERNALLYTHREADED JOURNAL THROUGH WHICH SAID SHAFT EXTENDS, AND A PANEL HAVING ANAPERTURE THROUGH WHICH SAID JOURNAL EXTENDS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: ANINTERNALLY THREADED NUT FITTING ON SAID EXTERNALLY THREADED JOURNAL TOHOLD SAID ELECTRICAL COMPONENT IN PLACE ON SAID PANEL, SAID NUT HAVING AROUND SHANK, ONE END OF WHICH BEARS AGAINST SAID PANEL, AND A SHOULDEREXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID SHANK, THESURFACE OF SAID SHOULDER FACING SAID ONE END OF SHANK BEING DISTANT FROMSAID ONE END BY A PREDETERMINED LENGTH; AN ANNULAR RING SURROUNDING SAIDSHANK TO BE FREELY ROTATABLY JOURNALLED THEREON, THE THICKNESS OF THEPORTION OF SAID RING IN CONTACT WITH SAID SHANK BEING LESS THAN THELENGTH OF SAID SHANK; A COMPRESSION DEVICE BETWEEN SAID RING AND SAIDNUT TO APPLY PRESSURE AND ROTATIONAL